[7.3/10] The A-story of this one was pretty good. I like that the show took the time to have our heroes question why Michael would team up with them, and how they could ever trust him. It leads to some good gags, some leverage, and a lot of good back-and-forths between the characters. On top of that, I like the fact that Chidi wants to do it because it’s true to his ethos of moral self-improvement, and that makes Eleanor willing to do it because she admires, however, begrudgingly, Chidi’s eternal willingness to selflessly help with it. The episode’s heavy-handed on that score, admittedly, but it’s a good setup.
The B-story was less good. I’ve liked Tahani, but the show got really over-the-top in depicting her resentment for her sister. The flashbacks are all fairly cartoony and broad, and don’t fit very naturally into the rest of the proceedings. At the same time, Jason was too dumb even for his usual dimwitted self here, and the show needs to find other places to take the character (like his unexpectedly endearing romance with Janet).
Overall, this felt like a table-setter, or even a little like a bottle episode, but largely delivered something enjoyable.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-10-09T16:53:37Z
[7.3/10] The A-story of this one was pretty good. I like that the show took the time to have our heroes question why Michael would team up with them, and how they could ever trust him. It leads to some good gags, some leverage, and a lot of good back-and-forths between the characters. On top of that, I like the fact that Chidi wants to do it because it’s true to his ethos of moral self-improvement, and that makes Eleanor willing to do it because she admires, however, begrudgingly, Chidi’s eternal willingness to selflessly help with it. The episode’s heavy-handed on that score, admittedly, but it’s a good setup.
The B-story was less good. I’ve liked Tahani, but the show got really over-the-top in depicting her resentment for her sister. The flashbacks are all fairly cartoony and broad, and don’t fit very naturally into the rest of the proceedings. At the same time, Jason was too dumb even for his usual dimwitted self here, and the show needs to find other places to take the character (like his unexpectedly endearing romance with Janet).
Overall, this felt like a table-setter, or even a little like a bottle episode, but largely delivered something enjoyable.